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Unit outline_

ARHT2645: Arts in Imperial China

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit explores the art, architecture and material culture of dynastic China (ca. 3000 BCE-1900), contextualizing works within the region's diverse social, political and cultural histories. The unit foregrounds focused interpretation of individual works through visual and material analysis.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Art History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level in Art History or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Asian Studies or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Critical Studies
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Yvonne Low, yvonne.low@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation Tutorial Presentation and Write up
n/a
20% Ongoing 1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Exhibition Analysis
n/a
15% Week 07
Due date: 09 Oct 2020 at 23:59
600 words
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Final Research Paper
n/a
50% Week 13
Due date: 23 Nov 2020 at 23:59
2300 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Online task Participation
n/a
5% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Tutorial quiz Tutorial quiz
n/a
10% Weekly 10 x 40 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction: Undoing narratives of Chinese art 1. Grand histories of Chinese art: Chronologies and dynasties; 2. Objects in museums: New and old perspectives Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Tutorial commences/ tutorial topic sign-up Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Objects and ritual in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages 1. Uncovering ‘Chinese’ culture in Neolithic pottery and stonework; 2. The function of bronze: Art and meaning Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Class activity and discussion Tutorial (1 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 03 Tombs and burial goods of early dynasties 1. Famous tombs and the making of Chinese history; 2. Rethinking objects: Art and rituals Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 2 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 04 Beginnings of Chinese Buddhism: Icon and narrative 1. The rise of the Dharma: Icons and narratives; 2. State Patronage: Buddhism under the Sui and Tang Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 3 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 05 Retracing the silk road: The Cosmopolitan Tang? 1. The maritime ceramic route: Tang treasures from the sea; 2. Tang: Treasures from the silk road capital Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Presentation and discussion based Week 4 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 06 Art and patronage: Collections of the court 1. Emperor Huizong and the politics of culture; 2. Painters and court arts of the Great Ming and Qing Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Presentation and discussion based Week 5 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 07 Rise of the Wenren 1. Picturing the Monumental and the Intimate 2. Picturing Place and Self in Southern Song and Yuan Painting Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 6 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 08 Women as artists in Imperial China 1. Women in the courts and the genteel arts; 2. Recovering women’s cultures in 17th century China Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 7 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Styles, Subject and the Politics of Painting in 17th – 18th c. China 1. ‘Chaos bows to authority’: The personal and the political; 2. Visual modernity and the orthodox in paintings Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 8 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 10 Encountering the other: The occidental and the exotic 1. The meeting of China and Europe: New ways of seeing; 2. Domesticating the west: Pictures and objects for the Qing Court Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 9 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 11 New images, new markets: Commercial art in the 19th century 1. Spectres of Modernity: New Technologies in late Imperial China 2. Prints and early photography in China Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 10 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 12 A coda: The Chinese modern 1. “Western-style” movements in new republic China; 2. Guohua: Art and identity in modern China Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Presentation and discussion based Week 11 topic/ materials Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

If a unit of study has a participation mark, your attendance may influence this mark.

For more information on attendance, see http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2014/345&RendNum=0.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

 'All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.'

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. identify and interpret works of art produced in China and surrounding regions from the Neolithic period, ca. 3000 BCE, to the end of the dynastic period in 1911
  • LO2. critically evaluate the social role of this art in its historical context of formation
  • LO3. understand key theoretical models for interpreting the visual and material culture of China during this period
  • LO4. analyze narratives of Chinese art history within the field and the exhibitionary context
  • LO5. effectively articulate a sophisticated interpretation of this cultural production both verbally and in writing.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

'No changes have been made since this unit was last offered'.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.